A FATHER who failed to take his dying teenage daughter to hospital after suppling her with drug MDMA has been jailed for killing her.

Jason Wilkes, 44, sobbed in the dock as he was sentenced to five years and four months behind bars after a judge found there were features of gross negligence that lead to 17-year-old Chloe's death.

Wilkes had been taking the class A drug with his daughter at their home in Ashford, Kent in July last year.

But when Chloe became unwell he failed to get her medical help for more than an hour - driving to a woodland area on the edge of the town, and then to an industrial estate where he worked, in an attempt to cool her down instead of driving her to the nearest hospital, which was less than three miles away.

If he had sought medical help for her as soon as he realised she was unwell, hospital staff might have been able to stop her overheating, which caused her heart to stop.

The court heard if he had not delayed calling the ambulance by an hour he could have saved her life.

During the sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Philip Statman told Wilkes, who was wearing a black suit and white shirt, he would carry "an enormous burden for the rest of your life."

SWNS

Chloe Wilkes died in hospital after taking MDMA

You will lead the rest of your life knowing that your conduct led to the death of your daughter who in my judgment you loved

Judge Philip Statman

He said: "The impact has been profound. I cannot think of a worse thing to go through as a mother.

"You will lead the rest of your life knowing that your conduct led to the death of your daughter who in my judgment you loved.

"That's an enormous burden for you to have to carry with you, but it is not just your burden.

"She is lost to her mother, brother and her extended family, a life tragically cut short."

Wilkes had been due to stand trial over his daughter's death but pleaded guilty to Chloe's manslaughter by causing her to take a noxious substance on the first day of his trial.

He had pleaded guilty to supplying her with MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, at an earlier hearing.

The court heard Chloe and her father were frequent drug users and often "got on it" together while Wilkes' 13-year-old son slept upstairs.

In the week leading up to Chloe's death, Wilkes said he told his daughter he felt like "getting on it" and as her friends were busy, Chloe planned to stay in with her father at their Ashford home and take drugs.

The court heard Wilkes and his daughter put half a gram of MDMA crystal in rolling cigarette paper and swallowed it whole with water - which is known as 'bombing'.

Late on July 26, Chloe appeared to be showing signs of overheating and confusion.

But instead of driving her straight to hospital, Wilkes took more than hour to seek medical help.

Prosecuting James Mulholland QC said: "They had taken ecstasy and cocaine the previous evening and three months before.

"Their shared involvement in drugs was much greater than it first appeared. "The actions of her father played a critical role in her demise.

"When Chloe was clearly unwell, his reaction was not to take her to hospital but to drive to an industrial estate where he says he tried to cool her down."

The court heard, Wilkes could have driven Chloe to a hospital, which would have taken around 10 to 15 minutes.

Mr Mulholland said: "When Chloe's condition worsened at the Warren, the defendant could have driven 2.2 miles to the William Harvey Hospital which would have taken around 10 to 15 minutes.

"These were vital moments. "

Experts determined that MDMA is not a benign drug and can lead quickly to a number of life threatening conditions.

He continued:"Their professional opinion was that if she had been rushed to hospital straight away medical staff could have stabilised her.

"That opportunity was denied to Chloe by the actions of her father and that failure played a subsequent role in her death."

Mr Mulholland added Wilkes had a "light-hearted and enthusiastic" attitude towards his daughter taking drugs and this demonstrated a "complete failure and breakdown in parental guidance".

A post mortem examination established that when Chloe died she had 3.1mil per litre of MDMA and 0.35mil per litre of cocaine in her system.

The court heart Wilkes, who worked at RK Resource - a scenery construction company for stage and television - was responsible for the purchase of all of the drugs Chloe took that July weekend, spending approximately £160 for the both of them.

School friends of Chloe said she had experimented with cannabis and speed during her time at North Secondary School in Ashford but had 'stepped up' her drug-taking on leaving.